Proper diagnosis and a detailed investigation into family backgrounds can help a particular couple, working with a skilled doctor or genetic counselor, to determine their genetic odds. Even knowing the odds, a couple still plays a bit of genetic roulette, but there's a huge difference between the odds of one in two, one in four, or one in thousands. Proper genetic counseling, and subsequent genetic testing, can enable a couple to determine those odds accurately. Whether or not they decide to "play the odds" is, of course, a very personal decision.

We have attempted in this brochure to answer the questions commonly asked about the genetics of members of the FIRST family of diseases. Many other questions will undoubtedly occur to you as you read. They can be answered by your doctor, genetic counselor, or by writing to the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types, Inc.

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Download the complete Genetics BookletThe information presented here is designed to be generally informative and is derived from sources believed reliable. The genetic concepts involved are extremely technical in many cases and have been simplified for clarity. The information presented is not, nor is it intended to be, sufficient for readers to make any decision about their personal genetic situations. Readers should always consult a professional geneticist or physician for individualized genetic counseling before making any decisions in their individual cases.